A Study in Charlotte

Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are descendants of their famous great-great-great-grandfathers. Their families have been hostile towards each other for generantions, so they‘ve never met—until they somehow end up at the same elite boarding school in Connecticut. When a classmate is murdered and they both fall under suspicion, they‘re forced to work together to solve the case… This was a fun murder mystery! As a huge Sherlock and Watson fan, I find retellings often work very well for me—and this one did, too. It is a YA book, so don‘t expect too much depth, but it had excellent connections to the original stories.

I was so excited to read this book because it's been on my TBR for four (!) years. I waited until the last book got published so that I can binge read the series. I didn't enjoy it. I decided to DNF it at 66% because I just couldn't deal with it anymore. Picking it up felt like a chore. Which is really disappointing! Jamie's fragile masculinity annoyed me. The way their friendship "developed" was unrealistic. Jamie always dreamed to be THE Watson to Charlotte's Holmes. He's been obsessed with the idea of solving crimes together since he was a child. The author tries to sell them as the Sherlock and Watson everybody loves. And, as everybody knows, every single person gets their personality from their ancestors. Jamie even receives a list from another Watson on how to deal with Holmeses. I couldn't connect with the characters and I couldn't get into the story. I really didn't care about who got murdered and who did it. I desperately wanted to finish this book but I also didn't want to waste my time with it.